Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Iran and Israel; cooperation in tragedy

R' Nechemia Wilhelm, one of the Lubavitcher shelichim in Thailand walks among the dead at thePhuket airport temporary morgue. Credit: AP

The Phuket, Thailand plane crash has been the first news item every hour on all Israeli radio station news updates since Sunday. 8 Israelis died in the crash...and Israel sent Magen David Adom, Israeli Police, Forensic experts and ZAKA personnel to the crash location. As a result of years of Arab terror attacks against her, Israel has a wealth of experience in disaster management and victim identification.

What's almost routine for Israel is very foreign to Iran, and while Israel sent a professional and equipment laden flight to Phuket, and were up and running quickly, Iran's consul on the ground had no idea where to start.

Israel Radio reports that the Iranian consul approached the Israeli representatives, and asked for their help -- the crash claimed 8 Israeli lives, and 18 Iranian ones. Israel immediately acquiesced, and provided a crucial piece of equipment to the Iranian personnel: A fax machine to receive identification pictures and other personnel information from Iran. Israel also agreed to help Iran with anything related to the tragedy.

The amazing thing is not Israel's willingness to help, but that Iran initiated the request for help.

Soccer dad may be onto it. And his comment reminded me about the Japanese diplomat -- Sugihara, if I remember the name correctly -- who on his own initiative and in defiance of instructions to the contrary from his government, issued thousands of transit visas to Jews who were trying to flee the Nazi beasts.